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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bank — of a river
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. roll — a list
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bank — for money
  10. kick — in football
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. game — a match
  16. bore — to drill
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bear — the animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com